Promoting the life and legacy of Rachel Carson, 5/27/1907 - 4/14/1964. Fostering a culture of Sentinel Lions who share Rachel's ethics and values. Working for sustained political and cultural change to prioritize public health.

2/8/16

As
costs of three-dimensional printers drop and the devices increasingly
make their way into offices, schools, and homes, users should consider
how to limit exposure to emissions of particles and gases in the space
where the printer is located. This caution stems from research by a team
led by Brent Stephens
of Illinois Institute of Technology and Neil E. Crain of the University
of Texas, Austin ... . The researchers tested the emissions of five
commercially available desktop 3-D polymer-extrusion printers for
ultrafine particles, which have a diameter less than 100 nm, and
volatile organic compounds, including caprolactam and styrene. They
used the printers to make a standard part from nine different polymer
filament starting materials. The emissions varied more by the type of
material than they did by the type of printer. Modeling the emissions
in a 45 m3 air-conditioned office, the team predicts that
caprolactam and styrene would reach concentrations that could be
harmful to health.

BPA-free alternatives may be no safer than BPA, say
researchers. Most common alternative, BPS, linked in study
to disruptions of estrogen and thyroid hormones

(CNN)Your "BPA-free" plastic product may be no safer
than the product it replaced, says a new UCLA study that analyzed the
impact of a common BPA alternative on zebra fish embryos. The study
joins a small but growing group of similar research sounding the alarm
about so called "BPA-free" alternatives.

"Our findings are frightening and important," said
senior author and reproductive endocrinologist Nancy Wayne.
"Consider it the aquatic version of the canary in the coal
mine."

After decades of animal research linked BPA (Bisphenol A), a
known endocrine disruptor, to problems with brain and reproductive
development, early puberty and a rise in breast and prostate cancer,
many manufacturers stopped using the chemical to harden plastics,
replacing it with "BPA-free" alternatives. The most common
replacement is BPS (Bisphenol S), said Wayne....

...The Breast Cancer Fund recommends that consumers wishing to limit
exposure to possible toxins in BPA, BPS and other alternatives use
glass, stainless steel and food safe ceramic containers for food and
water storage. They stress that it's not safe to microwave in plastic.
Other suggestions include using gloves to handle thermal paper
receipts, and researching canned goods to find those that no longer
use plastic liners.